Almost like a flight

by Joana Estrela

It’s not that I fell out of the bike, it’s more that the bike slid away from under me and my body decided to continue the journey without it. I’ve heard people describe accidents and say they saw everything happen in slow motion. And it’s true, it’s something about the brain working faster in a moment of crisis, but maybe this wasn’t a true moment of crisis because time didn’t slow down for me, I was barely aware of what had happened until I was already on the ground and people started to gather around me. And then I remember thinking “wow, this is really happening.” It’s a bit like being kissed for the first time, you are not really in it, you are more of a bewildered witness. Someone asked if I was ok, I said “yes, thank you” and immediatly realized I was not, no, thank you. They told me not to move but I wasn’t trying. I heard a voice describe me as a young person to the ambulance dispatcher, and I was suddenly reminded that everyone around me is going to tell the story of how they saw me fly out of my bike when they go back home, at the end of the day.